Trophy Hunting

I recently met Gil, a fellow carp angler, through a mutual friend. Via email we have been sharing some of our favorite fishing spots. Gil mentioned an urban pond near town that is full of small carp.

Not wanting to fight the crowds on the Fourth of July Weekend I decided instead to check out this new spot. It was very urban - fed by storm drains and run off, but it was teeming with little carp and some small buffalo. The fish were busy feeding near the bank, either rooting in the mud or swimming parallel to shore and plucking food-like items floating near the surface. I made one lap of the pond and caught one carp. On my second lap I spotted a real trophy fish. I missed it on my first try but the second time it couldn't resist the tiny golden nymph I offered. I was thrilled, a carp this small is one in a million!